In recent years, motor vehicle safety standards have been instituted which require that all new motor vehicles intended for ordinary passenger car use must be equipped with inflatable "air bags" for the protection of the occupant. Initially, the requirements have been met by providing a single airbag for driver protection, but ultimately both driver and passenger, and perhaps middle-seat passenger airbags will be required.
The technology used with airbags has been known in the patent art for a number of years, and many variations have been developed for airbags. Thus, some devices are made to protect the occupant from frontal injuries, while others protect from both frontal and side injuries. Some devices are built into the dashboard or steering wheel of the vehicle, while others are produced in combination with the seat belt.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,062,662 provides an airbag which is integral with the lap belt, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,971,354 provides such an airbag integral with a shoulder belt.
Unfortunately, in spite of the demonstrated ability of airbags to reduce serious injury in the event of a collision, many vehicles manufactured prior to current safety standards are still in use. In addition, many trucks are not within the scope of the requirements for airbags, so that no airbag protection is available for such trucks. Thus, there are a great many vehicles currently in use, and which will be in use for many years, which do not have airbags, and which cannot be easily retrofitted with airbags.
On new vehicles, the airbags are integrated into the dashboard or the steering wheel of the vehicle, where compartments for the airbags may be fitted and yet concealed so as to present an unobtrusive appearance. However, the cost to install airbags on older vehicles would be quite high, and the older the vehicle may be, the less likely the owner would be to pay for such an expensive installation.
Further, it is important that the vehicle occupant use the seat belt in vehicles equipped with airbags in order to minimize or avoid injury from the airbag itself, as well as to minimize injury in the event of a collision. Experience has shown that deployment of the airbag itself may cause injury, although generally such injury is minor in relation to the injury caused in a collision. In general, the airbag is positioned in such a manner that when it deploys, it moves toward the occupant it is intended to protect in order to urge the occupant back toward the seat.
The primary object of the present invention is to provide an airbag which may be used with older model vehicles to provide occupant protection.
Another object of the invention is to provide an airbag which may be transferred from one vehicle to another without vehicle modification.
Still another object of the invention is to provide an airbag which can be used either on the driver or passenger side of a vehicle.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide an airbag which may be used on vehicles which were not originally equipped with airbag occupant protection.
A further object of the invention is to provide an airbag which is intended to expand away from the user rather than toward the user upon deployment.
Still a further object of the invention is to provide a portable safety airbag which may be used in any vehicle having seat belts.
Yet a further object of the invention is to provide a portable safety airbag which may be used in any seat-belt equipped position of a vehicle, including the rear seats of automobiles, vans, buses, etc.
These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from a detailed consideration of the invention as described in the following description and claims.